Old-School TSR Ad Makes My Day

At some point during my largely unproductive Monday, someone in my twitter feed retweeted a message from Gold, the series which contained a link to this YouTube video:

An original TSR television commercial!  I love the tag line: “Products of Your Imagination.”  I guess I’ll out myself as not truly oldschool if I admit I have never seen this or any other TSR ad before.

The part of this ad that most interests me, though, is the fact that there are two girls playing at this table.  I love it!  And I’m not talking “token female gamer.”  There are two of them.  Not counting the DM, they’re 50% of the party.  They appear to be playing a cleric and a ranger (if the female cartoon characters are their counterparts.)  Now, I admit, girl-in-braids seems pretty overwhelmed, but girl-in-glasses seems cool as a cucumber.  These two are doing a great job of looking like they’re really into the game.  I take this image to heart: it’s proof that D&D was meant to be enjoyed by both guys and gals.  Always has been.  How it came to fall out of girlie graces, or perhaps how its star rose faster among the male set, will probably require more research.  Still, as a girl gamer struggling against stereotypes, this blast from the past gives me hope.  What this 30 seconds of hilarity (come on, admit it!) says to me is,”Girls are supposed to like and play this game and it’s OK if we do!”  It’s part of the original design.

Girls at your table means D&D is “working as intended.” 🙂